Shining Halo
by Shadowfang14
Summary: The lone projectionist. The spunky voice actress. No one would've ever suspected that Norman Polk and Alison Pendle were a couple. Pity they happen to be working for Joey Drew, who has delusions of immortality...as well as an ink machine that he needs a few guinea pigs to test... Set before the events of the game, leading to Alison's and Norman's transformations.
1. The Angel

**A/N: *2001: A Space Odyssey music starts playing as I make my dramatic entrance* Hello, readers! Yes, it is I, Shadowfang14, coming back with a brand new fanfiction a good...(looks back at Under Gravity: The Skeletwins' Story) ten months after what I said would be my last.**

 **Yeah, here's the thing-I've gotten started on my original webcomic, Myth City, but honestly? I haven't actually _written_ anything for the LONGEST time. I did a lot of writing for the actual story itself, and once I'd gotten twelve chapters done, that was when I finally decided to start work on the comic itself. But yeah, like I said, I'm only now getting started on the comic, and to be honest, not doing any actual writing for so long has kind of been making me a little stir crazy :/ So I figured, what the hey, I'll write a fanfic with my rarepair OTP from my current favorite video game, see if I can't get back into the swing of things. **

**But just a heads-up for everyone who knew me since my 'Poor Little Souls' days-I don't plan to make THIS story a whole big thing like I did with PLS; for starters it's going to be a lot shorter-between a threeshot-fiveshot. This is kind of just a mini-project in-between my original story. Also, as mentioned, I haven't done this in ten months, so I might be a little out of practice. So yeah, sorry in advance if the story is lame and/or underwhelming. But hey, this A/N has gone on long enough already. On to the story!**

 **Disclaimer** : _I don't own Bendy and the Ink Machine, it belongs to the living hand puppet known as TheMeatly._

"I'm the cutest little angel sent from above, and I know just how to sing!

I got a bright little halo, and I'm filled with love!

I'm Alice Angel!

I'm the hit of the party, I'm the belle of the ball, I'm the toast of every town!

Just one little dance, and I'll own your heart!

I'm Alice Angel!

I ain't no flapper, I'm a classy dish, and boy can this girl sing!

This gal can grant your every wish!

I'm Alice Angel!"

Alison Pendle finished off her song with a slight turn and bow, and Joey nodded in approval.

"Cut! Beautiful work as always, Miss Pendle; well done!" Alison just gave him a slight smile, just to acknowledge that she'd heard the compliment.

"Mr. Drew?" Sammy Lawrence called, peeking into the studio. "Henry wanted to talk to you." The faintest traces of a frown crossed Joey's features.

"Well, suppose I'd better go see what he wants—suppose you'll be heading out now, Alison?" The raven-haired woman nodded.

"My apartment is all the way on the other side of town, you know how it is."

"Well, you be careful out there." Joey's usual smile came back into place as he stepped out the door. "See you tomorrow!" With that, he disappeared, Sammy following behind him. Alison stepped from behind the recording booth, making sure everything was turned off before walking out and turning down the right hall, the opposite direction Joey had taken. She could see and hear other people around her packing up for the night, getting ready to head home.

Alison's eyes then went to a cartoon poster of Bendy, Boris, and Alice. The poster showed poor, confused Boris looking between the other two, who were acting as his literal shoulder devil and angel. She couldn't suppress a chuckle.

Hard to believe that it had been two months already since Alison had started working at Sillyvision Studios. It couldn't have come at a better time too—things were getting tight. Her old waitress job simply wasn't paying enough; she could barely afford to pay rent. She was just lucky that the special man in her life had connections, and recommended her to Joey Drew as an up-and-coming talent.

Speaking of the guy, he walked out of a room next to her, his ever-trusty projector hoisted over his shoulder.

Alison snorted, putting her hands on her hips.

"You carry that thing around so much, one of these days you're going to have film reels growing out of your head!"

Norman Polk let out a derisive snort of his own.

"You want to talk about reels, there're still a couple in there. If you felt like helping me move 'em, that'd be real swell."

"Gotcha." Alison went to fetch said reels, humming Alice's song to herself as she followed Norman to the recording room.

"You know, there's a new diner that opened up not far from us." Alison put out. "I hear they've got great coffee!" The last word she said in a sing-song type of voice, and Norman just bit his lip.

"Never really been one for coffee. Keeps me up all night."

"Well, maybe just a sandwich or something, then?" Alison asked. She looked over at Norman, sky blue eyes full of longing, and the man let out a sigh.

"Ali, it's not that I don't want to go out, but you know how people are…"

"Don't worry, the owner was a friend of my mom." Alison assured him. "I know he won't rat us out!" A confident smile crossed her face, and Norman allowed a small smile of his own, finally won over.

Neither Norman nor Alison was quite sure of when their relationship had actually started. They'd met when they were in their late teens, when Alison had defended him from a couple men who were harassing him for being colored. Norman had been suspicious of her at first—a white woman standing up for a black man? However, Alison gained his trust soon enough after they started spending more time together, and learned that they actually had a lot in common.

Both of them enjoyed their solitude, liked reading…and hated how stupid and bigoted a lot of people were. Soon enough they became friends; and maybe a year, two years afterward, discovered that they liked each other as more than just friends. Of course, they'd had to keep it secret. Most people already turned up their noses in disgust at the thought of their friendship, if word got out that they were actually _in love_ …well, it wouldn't be good for anyone. So they'd had to thread very carefully when they were in public.

"You know what?" Norman asked, putting away the last of the reels. "What the heck? Beats just stayin' in." Alison beamed happily. Looking around carefully to make sure there was no one else around, she walked over and put her arms around Norman's neck, planting a kiss on him.

Norman chuckled a little.

"Anyone ever tell you you taste like cinnamon?"

"Shut up." Alison mumbled, her face flushing slightly, much to Norman's delight. As antisocial and misanthropic as he was around most other people, Norman really did enjoy his time with his lady; especially when he got to tease her like this.

"Let's just get out of here." Alison led the way out of the room, and walked down the hall.

"Did Mr. Drew tell you about this crazy idea he's cooked up?" Norman asked, and Alison raised an eyebrow, some of her long black hair falling into her face as she turned to look at him.

"That machine of his?"

"Not sure." Norman admitted, brown eyes thoughtful as he looked straight ahead, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "I just remember him saying something about 'wanting to appease the gods'. I figure he's got a few screws loose up in there." He pulled out one hand to point to the top of his head, and Alison nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll admit—I've got my suspicions about the guy too. But hey, he DID give us our jobs." She then looked off to the side. "Even if that Campbell girl had to get fired for me to get mine…" A feeling of guilt washed over her, and Norman put his hand on her shoulder.

"That's not on you. Besides, Susie's doin' fine. She still does bit parts in the cartoons, you know." Alison started to protest, but Norman cut her off. "Anyway, let's not think 'bout that. Come on."

The two of them finally reached the exit and left the studio, unaware that they were being watched.

 _Alison and Norman, huh? Interesting…I'll have to keep my eye on those two…_

 **A/N: Well, there's your introduction. Honestly, I'm not even sure HOW I started shipping Norman/Alison-I've been doing some private BATIM RPs with a friend, then this just kind of...happened. TBH I'm probably the only person in the world who ships them :P**

 **Yes, I headcanon Norman as black, due to the way his voice sounds in the audio recordings in Chapters 2 and 3 of the game. And the 1930s being what it was; yeah-an interracial couple just wouldn't fly in the public eye. Really sad, but yeah.**

 **Anyways, that's enough of that. Not a lot going on in the first chapter, but I'd still love to hear you guys' thoughts on the first chapter! Leave me some reviews, if you want.**


	2. The Devil

**A/N: I have to say, I honestly did NOT expect this story to get the attention it did. Okay, granted it's not a whole lot...but TBH I didn't really know what to expect. All I can say is...thanks, guys :)**

 **AlchemyWriter: Thanks! I just hope you, and the others, continue to enjoy this story as it goes on!**

 **Pink Fox Productions: Heh, yeah, it kinda does. I'm glad you like it so far :)**

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993: I'm not really planning on a WHOLE lot of characters right now-I may or may not sneak in some cameos from the other characters later on. But for now, I plan to focus on Norman and Alison...as well as Joey and (spoiler alert for the chapter you're about to read) Susie.**

 **So, without further ado, here's the second chapter!**

 _Disclaimer: If I own Bendy and the Ink Machine, people hatch from eggs._

Susie Campbell didn't consider herself a jealous person, by any means. Just…ambitious. That wasn't really so terrible, was it?! After all, she'd been working at Sillyvision Studios for almost half a year now. She'd worked hard to get where she was, to make her name known. She _did_ find it a bit silly, voicing talking chickens and dancing chairs, but hey; she had to start _somewhere_.

And when Joey Drew—THE Joey Drew, told her that he thought she'd be perfect for the voice of Alice Angel, his newest character, she was over the moon.

Finally, _finally_ she was going to get her name out there, be recognized as a great voice actress! And when Joey showed her some drawings he'd done of the character, as well as the test scripts he'd written, Susie fell in love right away. She couldn't be more perfect—and Susie was going to be the one to bring her to life!

But then, it happened. Without so much as a warning, Joey had replaced her with Alison Pendle, and Susie's dreams were immediately crushed. That night she cried herself to sleep, feeling like she'd wasted her time. That she was a failure. A _nobody_.

And she always would be.

Susie let out a heavy sigh, clutching her purse tight as she walked down the street. Another miserable day of recording lines for bit parts, while Alison got to live out her dream.

 _Why?! What does_ _ **she**_ _have that I don't?!_

Susie gasped, putting her hand over her mouth in shock as the thought came to her. Jealousy wasn't healthy—that was something her mother had told her when she was a little girl. If you allowed yourself to be consumed with jealousy over another person, over what they had; you would fester and rot.

Susie lowered her hand and shook her head, putting the thought out of her mind.

"I…really should just get home." She said out loud, to no one in particular. The voice actress continued along, passing by a diner…and did a double take at what she saw. Or rather, _who_.

By some amazing miracle of coincidence, Alison was walking out of the little diner, presumably having just eaten there. And she wasn't alone—Norman Polk was with her. Susie's eyes widened as she saw the dark-skinned man offer his arm to Alison like a gentleman. She let out a snort, but accepted anyway, linking her arm through his.

Susie's jaw dropped to the ground.

Were Alison and Norman…on a date?!

There was so much _bizarre_ about this situation that she couldn't even wrap her mind around it. Ignoring the social bias, there was also the fact that, well…it was _Norman_. Susie never saw much of the guy, no one did. He wasn't exactly what one would call social—Norman kept to himself most of the time, preferred his solitude.

And while Alison wasn't exactly the _complete_ opposite, she knew how to interact with people; to give a smile, or at least fake one, when she had to. Not to mention how loud she could talk…

But here they were, in front of her. And they actually looked really happy together…

Suddenly, Susie felt something seize her heart. A new wave of jealousy towards Alison. Along with everything else, she had a man in her life, meanwhile Susie herself couldn't be more unlucky in love. The man she'd harbored feelings for not only didn't return her affection, but replaced her without a second thought.

 _It's not fair…it just isn't fair!_

It took a good two seconds before Susie realized that she had balled her right hand into a fist. Biting her lip, she finally took off walking again, resolved to get back home before she got more upset.

* * *

"Mr. Drew?" Susie rapped on his door, and Joey's voice answered her.

"Susie! Come right in!"

The young woman obliged, turning the knob and stepping right in.

"You said you had an opportunity for me?" Susie asked, getting right to the point. Joey lowered his book, 'The Illusion of Living', and gave a firm nod, plastering on his trademark smile.

"Yes indeed! Miss Campbell, I'm sure you've heard of my latest project?"

"The Ink Machine, right?" Susie asked. "I've heard some of the other workers talking about it…" She quickly explained, and Joey clapped his hands together.

"Right you are!" He looked around, as if to make sure that nobody was spying on them, then motioned with a finger for Susie to come closer. She obliged, and Joey said, in a quiet whisper,

"I finished it. And I wanted you to be the first one to see it in action!"

She probably should've been excited. Flattered, even.

Joey Drew was showing her his passion project before anyone else, probably even before he decided to show it off in public.

But something just felt…strange, to her.

"Well, I'm glad that you got your machine working," Susie started with a small, well-practiced smile, "But what does this have to do with me?"

"All in good time, Miss Campbell, all in good time." Joey stood up, dusting his hands together. "Do you want to see how it works?" Susie nod before she could stop herself, and Joey walked towards the door.

"Stay close, okay?" Susie nodded on instinct, following Joey as he led the way out of the office, down the hall, and to an elevator. He hummed to himself as he pressed a button, and they began descending. Susie recognized the tune right away. Alice's song.

The two of them kept descending further and further down, and Susie felt a knot starting to form in her stomach. She opened her mouth to start to say something, but Joey beat her to the punch.

"Miss Campbell, do you remember what I said to you the day you auditioned for the part of Alice Angel?"

Susie felt like someone had dumped cold water all over her.

"You told me I was perfect for the role. Absolutely _perfect_." Venom seeped into her voice at the last word, and this didn't go unnoticed by Joey. He turned to face her, an expression somewhere between a smile and a snarl on his face.

"I meant what I said, Miss Campbell. I do truly believe that you would be a perfect Alice. Your dedication to the role, your determination to get what you want…"

Finally, Susie couldn't hold her anger in any longer.

"Then why did you replace me?! I poured my heart and _soul_ into my performances, I'm TWICE the actress Alison…!" She stopped and gasped, putting her hand over her mouth. Joey's smile grew, and all of a sudden, it didn't seem so pleasant anymore.

"My my, you really _do_ have it out for Miss Pendle, don't you?" Susie couldn't answer. Her eyes fell to the floor, her mind racing. Her heart had started beating fast. Joey, evidently, took this as a sign to continue speaking.

"But that's quite alright. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's _perfect_." Joey turned around completely, and Susie suddenly got the feeling she'd made a TERRIBLE mistake. "After all, to be the perfect angel, some sin must be done…"

Susie tried to step backwards, but barely took half a step before her back collided against the wall.

"To answer your question Miss Campbell, I gave the part to Alison because she's just _playing_ Alice Angel. Nothing more than a mouthpiece to a few lines of ink on paper. But for her to actually _be_ Alice?"

"What are you talking about?" Susie's voice was small as she asked the question, and even as she asked, she got the feeling she wasn't going to like the answer.

Finally, the elevator stopped, the doors opening before her and Joey.

"Come now, Miss Campbell. I think it's only fair that you get a first-hand look at how the ink machine works."

 **A/N: Oh boy. I think you all know what's going to happen now...**

 **TBH I don't really ship Susie/Joey, I just decided to go with it here for plot reasons. Also, based on what we hear from her audio recordings in the game, Susie seems like she was a sweet person before she was turned by the ink machine, so I figured it would be better to write her that way instead of just having her be a jealous spiteful bitch...until she gets transformed, and that causes her to become unhinged. And yes, I just HAD to use some lines from the game and songs :P**

 **So, what do you guys think? Leave me some reviews!**


	3. The Monster

**A/N: Hello again, everyone! So, sorry that each new chapter takes so long to come out...but to be fair, I didn't plan on making this a long story, as I may have mentioned. As a matter of fact, I'm just about to write the last chapter (not the next one after this, the fifth chapter). Plus, I'm alternating between doing this, and my own personal writing, so yeah. I did decide to go ahead and post the story on Wattpad too, though! Only the first chapter so far, though I'm going to post the second one tomorrow. So yeah-there's that. Also, like with FNAF before it, I made an RP blog on my Tumblr dedicated to my versions of Norman and Alison from this fanfic. Heh...BATIM really is my new FNAF...anyway, the blog is called the-angel-and-the-projectionist, and even if you're not active on Tumblr and/or an active roleplayer, I did make a page for my art of them.**

 **vXLDh: Thanks...I think XD**

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993: Yeah-there's some pretty strong implications that Susie is 'Alice' in the game; heck she even refers to herself as such at one point. Also, I know there was a theory for a while that Susie and Alison had BOTH been merged into 'Alice', with Alison incidentally being her bad side. Though it looks like that theory went flying out the window with the end of Chapter Four.**

 **AlchemyWriter: Thanks, hope I don't disappoint!**

 **Twins 'n Fandoms: Oh, you're too kind! I'm glad you like it so much, your words really mean a lot to me!**

 **Pink Fox Productions: IDK, she _did_ debate killing Henry to his face, then run him around like a dog to do a bunch of errands for her at the risk of his own life. I don't doubt that Susie may have been a nice person once, but then the ink machine happened.**

 **Well, that's all for now, enjoy this next chapter!**

 _Disclaimer: If I own Bendy and the Ink Machine, Joey Drew is a saint._

Norman was a lot of things, but he wasn't blind, or stupid. When Joey announced that Susie Campbell had quit to look for another job somewhere else, he didn't buy it for a second. Even if Susie had been THAT hung up that she didn't get to play Alice Angel, she wouldn't have just bowed out like that, without a word. And when Joey made the announcement, he had a…strange look about him. Just—a wild look in his eyes, like he'd seen or done _something_ …

Norman couldn't be sure of anything yet, but he couldn't brush off the feeling he had, either. He would keep an eye on Joey for now, and if he proved to be dangerous to him, or worse…Alison…

Norman moved one hand from his projector to reach into his shirt, pulling out a locket. Back when Alison had given it to him, they were still just friends, but now it meant a lot more to him.

Suddenly, Norman was pulled out of his thoughts by a strange sound. Stuffing the locket back into his shirt hurriedly, Norman turned to see who, or _what_ was there. The temptation to call out 'Hello?' crossed his mind, but Norman resisted the urge. No one should be down here at all besides him—this was his own little quiet space. Meaning that either someone had snuck down here and inadvertently stumbled upon his hiding spot or…

Norman pushed those thoughts aside for the moment as he pulled himself out of his chair, slowly and carefully walking over to the door to chance getting a better look at whoever was out there. As he got closer, the sound became more evident.

Yes…it was crying alright. Shaky, piteous cries. But they weren't normal—there was something off about them…

" _My face…oh God, my face!_ "

Norman's heart promptly stopped beating.

That was Susie Campbell's voice. It sounded warped though, distorted. Norman stood frozen in place for what seemed like an eternity before he finally decided to take a chance and peek his head out. There, visible in the darkness about ten feet from him, was a figure crouched in the darkness, its shoulders shaking as it cried. It took every ounce of Norman's self-control to not call out Susie's name. Even if this thing WAS Susie Campbell, he got the feeling that would not end well at _all_.

All the same, he wanted to get a better look. Slowly, slowly, Norman moved forward, keeping his wits about him. As Norman got closer, he realized that this thing, whatever it was, _couldn't_ be Susie. Not anymore, anyway. It had only the vaguest trace of a human shape…arms and a head, but no legs that could be seen. It looked, for lack of a better word, like a living ink blob.

No, it had no traces of humanity on it whatsoever.

And yet, those cries sounded like a woman's cries…sounded like Susie…

"Norman?"

Both projectionist and ink blot turned at the same time, even letting out identical gasps. As Alison got closer, the inky creature that had once been Susie Campbell sank into the ground, disappearing before Alison had a chance to see it.

As the voice actress got closer, and got a good look at Norman's face, a concerned look crossed hers.

"You okay?" She let out a half-smirk. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"You could say that…" Norman mused, looking at the spot where Susie…or whatever that thing was, had been. "Ali, this is going to sound crazy…but I think I know what happened to Susie."

"Really?" Norman nodded.

"We should get out of here first though…I don't feel right talking about it down here."

* * *

"So, let me see if I get this straight;" Alison held out her left hand, her right one holding her cup of coffee.

It was an hour later. The two had returned home after Norman went ahead and clocked them out-as luck would have it, it was already closing time. And now here they were, back in their apartment.

"You think someone, or something, turned Susie into ink?"

"Well, I _could_ be wrong." Norman admitted with a shrug. "It was dark, I coulda been seein' things."

"And hearing things at the same time?" Alison asked uncertainly, raising an eyebrow. Norman was quiet for a few seconds…before he suddenly realized something.

"The ink machine." Alison started to ask what he was talking about…before the realization sunk in on her.

"Oh God…you don't think?!"

"Not sure _what_ I think." Norman admitted with a heavy sigh. "'Cept that we shouldn't trust Mr. Drew."

"Didn't have to tell ME twice." Alison sank into a chair, putting a hand to her face. "I don't know what to think now…what to do…"

Norman gave her a sympathetic look. She wouldn't say it out loud, but Alison was scared. He knew it instinctively. Not that he could blame her—he was scared too, and really confused. But right now, he had to put that aside, and be there for her.

He walked over to Alison, pulling out his locket and opening it to show the picture inside—himself and Alison as university students, a lake behind them, with the reflection of the sunset shining off its surface.

"Ali, look. Look at me." He spoke as softly and gently as he could, holding up the picture to show her. "You remember what you said to me the day we took this picture?" Despite herself, Alison smiled a little.

"Not to worry about anything—because we were together now. And no matter what happens, we'll face anything that comes our way, together." She reached for her own locket, and Norman managed a small smile.

"That's still true. We're still together Ali, you and me." Norman got down on his knees to look Alison in the eyes, taking her pale hands in his dark ones. "And whatever's going on, we'll figure something out. If there really IS something rotten at the studio, and it gets too dangerous, we'll leave." He shrugged. "Maybe leave this city, start over somewhere else…" Alison had to laugh.

"Since when are _you_ the romantic, fantastical type? You're usually more grounded and realistic than this." Norman shrugged, still smiling a little.

"Got you to laugh, didn't I?" Alison's heart swelled.

"You are TOO good, you know that? I don't know what I did to deserve you." She leaned forward, planting a kiss on Norman's lips. The projectionist returned the kiss, glad that he'd been able to make Alison feel better, at least for a little while.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the two of them, the inky being that had once been Susie Campbell received an unexpected visitor in the form of Joey Drew.

"How disappointing…" His eyes filled with something akin to sympathy as he looked at her, and Susie shrank away from him in fear.

"Well," Joey shrugged, "If at first you don't succeed…" He started to reach out to grab Susie, who shrank back even more.

"Come now, Miss Campell." Joey tried for a smile. "I've figured out the problem with the ink machine…your second trip through should be much more proficient than the first." He leaned down, giving a thin-lipped, sickly-sweet smile. "This time, you'll be _perfect_. A perfect angel." Susie made a sound that might have been a gasp.

" _An…angel?_ " Joey nodded, carefully selecting his next words.

"You'll be a far better Alice than Miss Pendle could EVER hope to be." That seemed to do the trick. Susie pulled herself up as best as she could, giving some very enthusiastic nods.

" _Yes, yes! I'll do it!_ " Joey's smile widened a little more.

"I knew you'd see things my way, Susie. Come now." He motioned for Susie to follow him, and she followed unquestioningly. As she followed Joey, a thought came to Susie.

Norman. He'd seen her—what if he blabbed? Okay, maybe not to everyone else…but he had to have LEAST told Alison.

Suddenly, an idea came to Susie. If this machine could really change people, like it did to _her_ (at least, the first time around), and if she could figure it out better, Susie might have a way to assure the projectionist's silence…not to mention taking something, or rather some _one_ from Alison, the way she did to her.

 **A/N: Oh no. This does NOT look good for our couple. Yeah, I decided to have Susie just become a regular Searcher first, because 'Alice' does say in the game that she went through the ink machine twice, and the first time she was a 'wriggling, pussing, shapeless slug'. Besides, I figured that going through something like that, after Joey's promise, could be a good factor to add to her losing her grip on things.**

 **So, how did you like the chapter? Sorry if it seems rushed or anything.**

 **Either way, review and let me know what you think!**

 **(P.S. no prizes for guessing who the 'monster' of the title is)**


	4. The Victim

**A/N: Well, here it is, folks. The penultimate chapter! Yeah-don't expect a happy ending here. All the same, I'm glad you've all been enjoying this story, and am thankful for the reviews and attention it's gotten. Sorry, kind of got egotistical there ^^'**

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993: Yep, Susie's gone bye-bye.**

 **Guest: Yep, the monster in this case is the one and only Joey Drew. Glad you're liking the story.**

 **AlchemyWriter: Yeah, I've seen a lot of great theories out there for the game, some I agree with, others...not so much.**

 **Twins 'n Fandoms: Yeah, as mentioned above, I was talking about Joey. It's okay though, still glad you're liking the story!**

 **Well, now that that's all out of the way, on to the chapter. Sorry if it seems kind of rushed...**

 **Disclaimer** : _Roses are red, violets are blue. I don't own Bendy, and neither do you._

"… _mean_ I'm not working hard enough, all I DO is work!" Norman didn't need to turn around. He recognized Henry's voice right away. "Hour after hour, day after day, I'm hunched over a desk drawing hundreds of cartoons…I barely even get to go home anymore!" The angry cartoonist shouted. "I hardly get to _see my wife_ anymore, Joey!"

"Henry, be reasonable." It was obvious Joey was trying to keep his cool, but there was an edge to his voice. "You need to think about the bigger picture here. If we…"

"'We'?!" Henry let out a humorless laugh. "Since when has there ever been a 'we'?! All I do is give and give for this studio, and _you're_ the one taking all the credit for it!"

Norman actually chanced a look. He'd _never_ heard Henry this angry before. Joey tried to say something else, but Henry cut him off right away.

"No! I'm _done_!" The door flew open, and Henry stormed out right away. Watching him, Norman couldn't help but think he was making the right decision. Thomas Connor, who had had just finished doing some maintenance work, stepped out from one of the rooms, letting out a low whistle as he watched Henry leave.

"Well, _there's_ something I never thought I'd see. If anyone was going to leave, I would've thought it would've been Franks—he keeps threatening to quit anyway."

Suddenly, Norman thought of something.

"Hey, Tom?" Thomas curled his lip at the dark-skinned man.

"Don't call me that." He growled. Norman started to sigh, but managed to keep his voice even as he asked

"You seen anything strange around here?"

"'Strange'?" Thomas scratched his chin. "Strange like how?" Norman looked around to make sure no one was around to listen before leaning closer to the handyman.

"Strange figures." He offered. "Ink people—down in the lower rooms." Norman was genuinely surprised at the look of shocked recognition on Thomas' face.

"You noticed too? God…I thought I was the only one." Thomas looked at him seriously. "Did you notice that people have started disappearing around here too? Not just Susie—one of the artists has gone missing too. Not to mention that Irish bum, Flynn."

Norman racked his brain. Oh right…Shawn Flynn. The toymaker.

"You want my advice, pal;" Thomas continued, still looking seriously at Norman; "You'll grab Pendle and vamoose as soon as you can." Norman almost fell over at the first part of the sentence.

"Alison? Why would you think that…?" Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Look Polk, I'm a lot of things, but I'm NOT blind, or stupid. I've seen the way you two look at each other."

Crap. Crap on a stick.

Norman started to ask if anyone else knew, but Thomas cut him off.

"But that's not important right now. Like I said, this place is going to hell—probably literally. You'd be smart to leave." He turned and walked off, and Norman pulled himself up. He started to think—Alison would be recording her lines about now. What if Joey was with her, what if he'd already got her?

Norman forced himself to stay calm as he started down the hall, looking around in the hopes that he could find Alison. Finally, he reached the recording room.

"Ali?" He knocked once before opening the door. "Ali, we should…"

 _WHAM!_

Norman went collapsing to the ground not long after he felt something hard and sharp colliding with the back of his skull. He barely even heard the person's voice as everything went black, his eyes closing on their own.

* * *

The first thing going through Alison's head as she came to was

 _I'm a goddamned idiot._

Her throat had been dry and scratchy after recording her lines, and she'd conveniently come outside to find a cup of tea waiting for her? Alison knew it was a bad idea from the start…but it smelled SO good. Chamomile, with a touch of honey. Perfect to soothe her throat. So she pretty much went on autopilot, reaching out and blowing before taking a sip. A _big_ sip. And it took her swallowing the stuff to realize…it was salty.

Not long after she came to this realization, Alison felt her eyelids growing heavy. She passed out, right then and there.

As she stirred to consciousness again, Alison realized that she was sitting in something wet—water? No…this felt different, stickier. She let out a groan, and a soft, humorless laugh could be heard.

" _Are you going to wake up? I'd hate to think that we'd accidentally killed you._ "

Alison's eyes snapped open right away, a sharp gasp escaping her.

"What…who…?!" She looked around wildly, then up…and had to bite back a scream at what she saw.

The being in front of her looked like Alice…a life-size, realistic, horribly _warped_ version of Alice. Her eyes were nothing but hollow black pits. Her halo was going _through_ her head, as if someone had jammed it through. She seemed to have growths growing out of the sides of her neck and face. And her mouth…oh GOD, her _mouth_. Alison was amazed that she could even speak at all, her mouth; and cheeks, were rent open, showing her teeth, with thin strips of flesh connecting her mouth. Alison would've probably vomited if she wasn't so terrified.

Apparently, 'Alice' must've noticed the disgust and fear in her expression, as anger crossed her features.

" _Don't you give me that look! Not when this is all YOUR fault!_ _ **You**_ _took my dream away!_ "

Alison's eyes widened in shock as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"…Susie?"

"Astounding, isn't it?" A new voice came. Joey stepped into view, behind Susie/Alice, who, Alison noticed, almost seemed to shrink back in fear as he approached her. A small, sinister smile crossed Joey's face as he looked over at Alison. "You know, I had my doubts about this machine, Alison. Wanted to make sure it worked—that I could really bring my creations to life. Yes, the results aren't quite perfect, but I feel the ink machine gets better all the time! Stronger! It's like I always say—there's nothing wrong with dreaming!"

"You're _insane_!" Alison snapped. "Do you really think you can just…?!"

She didn't get a chance to finish. The sound of groaning could be heard, and Alison gasped as she looked over, recognizing the figure right away.

"Norman!"

"Ah good, my newest guinea pig is up." Joey clapped his hands together before walking over to where Norman was, and Alison felt her heart starting to beat faster.

"What are you doing?! Get away from him!" She tried to pull herself up…only to go falling back to the ground. Her hands were tied behind her back, and so were her feet. As she looked back over at Norman, Alison saw that it was the same for him. The projectionist started to come to as Joey dragged him across the floor…to a large, ominous-looking machine. Without needing to be told, Alison knew right away that it was the ink machine.

Joey deposited Norman at the base of the machine, and Norman seemed to wake all the way up as Joey went to activate it.

"Wh…what? Where am…?" He looked around…and his eyes fell on Alison, the color draining from his face. Alison wanted to get up and knock Joey's lights out (and maybe Susie's too, if she had anything to do with this). To grab Norman and leave the studio behind. Escape from this insane man and his machine with the man she loved.

But all she could do was watch helplessly as Joey started the machine up, giving Norman a smile devoid of warmth or friendliness. The Ink Machine started up right away, and Alison could only watch as it spewed out ink all over Norman. At first it didn't seem to do anything—then Alison realized it was _spreading_ over Norman, all on its own. It seeped into his clothes, covered his skin…then poured all over his head.

About a second or two later, Norman let out a scream of pain, and Alison's heart stopped for a second or two, a gasp escaping her.

"No!" Something start to grow out of the sides of Norman's head—shapes forming around it, then forming together and _over_ his head, muffling the dark-skinned man's screams.

A film projector.

Alison bit back a scream as wires started growing from the projector, a speaker growing out from Norman's chest, and a giant reel growing out from his shoulder.

And then…it stopped. The ink machine turned off, but the damage was done.

Norman Polk was no longer human.

He was an ink being, Alison realized. A _thing_ , with a film projector for a head, and wires growing out of him. Norman fell forward, just barely holding himself off the ground. Even from where she was, Alison could hear his ragged breathing, and tears came to her eyes.

"NORMAN!" Her tears spilled over, pouring down her cheeks. "No…" Norman raised his projector head to look at her, and Alison didn't know whether or not she was seeing things through her tears, but the lens that now served as his window to the outside world was half-lidded, as if he was looking at her sadly.

" _ **Ali?**_ " His voice sounded tinny and hollow coming out from the speaker on his chest. He slowly started to move forward, as if to go to her…only to black out, passing out right there on the floor.

Alison couldn't hold it back any more. Her body wracked with sobs as she turned to Joey.

"Joey, _what have you done?!_ "

"Calm yourself Miss Pendle, he's still alive." Joey assured her. "And if the machine will work twice in a row—you can still be with him." Alison realized what he was talking about a second before he grabbed her, pulling her up and carrying _her_ over to the machine, like he had done with Norman. Alison tried struggling—without much avail, as her arms and legs were still tied.

"Let me _go_!" As she continued trying to break out of his grip, Joey let out a humorless chuckle.

"Nothing personal Alison, but I can't have you going out and telling the authorities anything."

"You really think you'll get away with this?!" Alison demanded as he threw her to the ground. "People are going to notice! They'll notice all the missing workers and…!"

The buzzing of the ink machine cut her off. Alison suddenly couldn't breathe.

This was really happening. What was she going to turn into?! She looked from Susie, who looked like she was barely holding herself together, to Norman, and her heart started to ache again.

 _I'm sorry, Norman. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. But no matter what happens next—if this thing doesn't turn me into a mindless ink blob, I'll find some way to get you back; get the two of us out of here. And I'll kick Joey Drew's ass._

The thick, cold ink started pouring over her, and Alison blinked back her tears as she felt her body start changing.

 _I love you._

 **A/N: Welp, there it is. The last actual chapter of this story...but it's not QUITE over yet. I've got something of an epilogue on the way, leading into the events of the main game. But that's for next time.**

 **Before I go, however, I just wanted to discuss a couple things:**

 **a) Yep, I just had to have Henry in the story, even if only for a moment. Also wanted to put in my own interpretation of what would've gotten him to quit working at the studio.**

 **b) After going through the machine a second time, I'd imagine Susie would look closer to Alice; albeit a horribly mutilated version of her, if her lines in the game are anything to go by. And yes, after _two_ trips through the machine, she's completely lost her mind...as well as developed an understandable fear of Joey Drew**

 **c) I saw this one post on Tumblr about how Norman's projector head works, i.e. his actual head being inside the projector, so I decided to go with that for my version.**

 **Well, that's all for now. Leave me some reviews, even if they're just to tell me how sadistic I am for putting Alison and Norman through this :P**


	5. Epilogue

**Well, here it is, folks. The final part of the story. I have to say, it has been fun writing this, getting back into the swing of things, and I'm glad that you guys have enjoyed reading it :) This epilogue is admittedly pretty short, compared to the other chapters, but this is more or less set during the last scene of Chapter Four (of the game), when Alison and Tom show up to rescue Henry, so that's the reason.**

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993: That IS a good point...alright, I went and changed a line to make this a bit more optimistic.**

 **AlchemyWriter: Well, pity your joint story didn't work out. I hope you can find your niche, even if it's not in fanfiction, and make something you like, and you're proud of.**

 **Well, on to the final part now!**

Thirty years.

Thirty years in that studio—having to fight for her life against monsters that used to be her coworkers and friends, glancing over her shoulder every moment…Alison would never admit it to Tom, but part of her wished that she had gone insane like the others after being transformed. Alison still wasn't sure why only the two of them had been able to hold onto their memories and humanity; maybe it really _did_ have to do with the two of them being turned into perfect copies of Alice and Boris, like Joey had said.

Joey Drew—why had Alison ever trusted that man at all?! She should've just left the studio with Norman the second he started work on his damned machine, and never looked back. It wasn't enough for him to do all these experiments, turn his workers, innocent people, into inky abominations—after doing test after test, rating the success of each new subject; Joey had decided to go through the machine himself.

The damned fool actually wanted to _become_ Bendy. And he did—a twisted, ink-dripping nightmare who had become, if anything, even more sadistic.

And Alison thought he was a monster before…

From what Alison had seen, Susie wasn't much better. Alison would never forget the horrified look on Tom's face when he came back from scouting and told her about the room with all the dead Borises. How the other woman thought torturing and killing toons, ripping out their guts, was going to make her beautiful, Alison didn't know—and she wasn't sure she wanted to. In spite of everything, she almost felt sorry for Susie.

Almost.

Then she learned what Susie had done to Norman. Alison's heart still ached at the thought, and every now and then, as much as she tried, she couldn't stop herself from shedding a tear or two. The day after they had been transformed, Norman was mindless after he had woken up. Susie had molded him somehow, convinced him to serve her. To prowl the halls as her eyes and ears, looking for anyone that might be a threat to her.

Alison had tried once or twice to get him back, remind him of who he really was. She'd come close once. For a few seconds, Norman almost seemed to remember himself, remember _them_ , had actually started to lift his arms like he wanted to embrace her, hold her close like before. When they were human. When they were together. Before this whole nightmare had started.

But then he lost himself again and tried to attack her—if it weren't for Tom, Alison probably wouldn't have gotten out of that alive. And once they were out of danger, the handyman-turned-cartoon wolf made sure to give Alison an earful about heading out like she had. Tom wasn't always the friendliest guy, but he turned out to be a _damn_ good fighter. Not to mention, he was the only company Alison had now.

And when they found Norman's head, all that was left of him—he had been surprisingly sympathetic, allowed Alison to cry into his shoulder. He even patted her on the back, assured her that he might still come back. That they could bring him back.

After all, toons, searchers...they died all the time, and could still come back. Maybe the Bendy statues could bring Norman back somehow?

Alison wanted to believe Tom-she REFUSED to believe that the man she loved was dead, that there was no way to save him. Without being told, Alison immediately knew that the inky demon once known as Joey Drew was the one responsible for this. Norman hadn't been his target though; he was just an obstacle.

Which meant that Alison and Tom might soon be getting another ally. The pair wasted no time getting to the Bendy Land room, and were just in time to see Susie charging at her target. Alison wouldn't pretend she didn't relish the moment she ran the other woman through with her blade.

She wished she could stab her again and again, bring _her_ as much pain as Susie had brought her. What happened to Norman was partly her fault anyway; she'd brainwashed him into being her mindless slave.

A horrible thought, but Alison couldn't stop herself. That seemed to be what this studio was good at—making monsters. Even if it wasn't readily apparent.

Speaking of which, Alison couldn't help but gape in shock as she looked at Susie's next would-be victim. The clothes indicated that it was Henry, but it was obvious HE'D been put through the machine too. Alison wondered if he'd even noticed he'd been changed, she'd seen a couple instances where Joey knocked out, or even flat-out _killed_ some of his employees before transforming them. Maybe he'd lost his memory somehow? If that were the case, Alison couldn't help but dread the moment they'd inevitably have later, where either she or Tom, probably both, would have to show Henry that he wasn't human anymore. That he, like them, had been turned into a living cartoon—a human-sized Bendy far more perfect and in line with the little devil's likeness than the twisted, grinning mockery Joey had ended up becoming.

Alison remembered how shocked and confused she was the first time she'd looked into a mirror, and saw Alice Angel staring back at her…

She shook her head. They could worry about that later (and hopefully Henry wouldn't go insane from the revelation). For now, they all had to get going.

After all, the ink demon was still out there. And there was strength in numbers.

 **A/N: Yep, I decided to go with the 'Henry is Perfect Bendy' theory before the fifth chapter comes out and probably proves me wrong (or right). Also, as a reviewer pointed out, you CAN kill the Projectionist in Chapter Three, and he still comes back in Chapter Four, so I wanted to put in a ray of hope for our unfortunate couple.**

 **Well, like I said, this has been fun. I may or may not come back and do some more fanfictions in the future if I get any more ideas, or if I want a break from working on my original stories.**

 **Until then though, leave some reviews, and I'll see you around.**

 **Bye!**


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